The Time Of Gathering
by smaguire
Summary: Pitch has returned. He's after the Guardians and starts off with the youngest, Jack. Bunny and the others must defend both Jack and the children. The nightmares will descend once again, will the Guardians defeat him again or will they fall to the darkness? Why is Pitch focused mainly on Jack? Is it because he is the reason for his defeat the first time, or something else?
1. Chapter 1: The Start of the Hurt

**Okay, so this is my first fan fiction that I've ever posted, so it might not be the greatest. But I really hope you like it. It won't have any pairings or anything like that, because romance isn't really my forte, but it'll have a more familial type love in it. So, I'm sorry if it isn't really what you wanted. But if you don't have a problem with that or anything, I'd really like you guys to give it a try. So on with the First chapter. :)**

Chapter One: The Start of The Hurt

"Why do _I_ have to go and get that bloody show pony? He knew we had a meetin' planned for tonight to discuss how we were goin' to make the holidays betta' for the ankl' bitta's. But _no_, he just had to go an' blow us off. I don't understand why North doesn't keep a bloody leash on that bloody snowman! So now I hav' to go and waste my time and go get him!" Bunnymund grumbled. He was irritated that he was always the one to go and get him, and was always treated like a babysitter. "I'm the freakin' EASTER BUNNY for the moon's sake!" He yelled in to the forest he was walking through. He was walking towards the lake on the edge of Burgess, that Jack always seemed to be at. Bunny sighed. It was pointless to be yelling if no one was going to be paying attention, so he decided that once he found Jack he would give him the what for.

He walked through the forest and was nearing his destination. The lake was just on the other side of this hill. He walked up the small hill and down the other side to the clearing that held the lake. He reached the edge of the clearing and was about to yell for Frostbite, but stopped dead in his tracks...

Everything was in complete chaos. Some of the trees had been destroyed, the lake had huge chunks of ice sticking at odd angles, and the snow had craters in it; like someone had chosen to shoot at it with a cannon that didn't have to reload. His ears perked, and he sniffed the air, he could still make out Jack's scent. But... He could also make out the metallic tang of blood in the frosty air. Bunny leapt into action. He withdrew one of his boomerangs, and hopped into the clearing. "Frostbite?! Where are ya?!" He yelled as he neared the edge of the lake. He glanced around the area, hoping to find some clues. He then saw small droplets of crimson staining the snow, he followed the trail. As he went further on the droplets turned to larger splatters, and finally he came across a deep indentation in the snow. It looked like Jack had fallen and collapsed into it, then proceeded to drag himself along the ground if the long streaks of crimson were anything to go by.

"Jack?!" He continued to call, hoping to receive a reply. He pushed forward again, looking out for any signs of that infamous blue hoodie. He heard a twig snap, and a groan. Without a second thought he ran towards the noise. "Jack? Jack, you there frostbite?" He received a small grunt in reply. He looked over to the sound and saw Jack sitting on the ground, leaning against a tree.

He had his eyes closed, and his breathing sound labored and wheezy. His skin was paler than usual, and his hoodie had a dark purple stain coming from the side. His leg was twisted at an odd angle, and his arm laid limply by his side. His hair was matted with the sticky substance of blood, and he had thousands of scratches littering his visible skin. Bunny stepped closer to the immortal teen, and Jack's eyes flickered open, watching the pooka warily. "Bu-Bun-ny?" His voice a mere whisper, that sounded hoarse as though he had been screaming.

Bunny knelt down by Jack, "Yeah, it's me mate. I'm gonna take you to the pole and get you fixed up, alright?"

Jack tilted his head to the side for a moment, as though he couldn't understand, but then nodded. He took a shaky breath in, "I-It was P-Pitch. He said i-it was j-just the b-beginning and t-that we won't w-win this time." His voice cracked and he kept stuttering trying to make a coherent sentence. Bunny's anger flared, his thoughts centered on how Pitch could possibly do this, and why he would dare to hurt the youngest guardian. Bunny looked down at Jack again, and picked the teen up gently. Jack hissed in pain through clenched teeth. His fingers held tightly to the pooka's fur, his eyes squeezed shut trying to block out the stabbing, burning sensation that hit him each time he moved even the slightest bit. "M-my s-staff." He finally managed to loosen his jaw to say those two words. Bunny looked around the small grove they had entered, and saw the staff. It was in two halves.

He leaned down carefully, as not to jostle the boy, and picked them up. He stood up again and held a small bit tighter to the boy in his arms. "We'll use the tunnels, it will make it a quicker trip back to the pole." Jack held tighter to the pooka's fur, as acknowledgement to the statement. Bunny tapped his paw to the ground twice and his tunnel appeared, his eyes flickered down to the teen's face, and jumped into the hole leading back to the North Pole.

**So, that was the first chapter. Sorry, if it wasn't that long. I just thought that it would be a good start. I would appreciate it if anybody would give me some pointers or advice on how I can make it better so everyone can enjoy more. I would also like some constructive criticism on how to make it sound better and add more depth. I also want to say sorry if it had any mistakes or grammatical issues, I tried to fix the majority of them, but sometimes I miss some. Please R&R! -Smaguire XP**


	2. Chapter 2: The News

**Hey it's me again. I'm really glad you guys liked the start of this story. So when I read the reviews I decided to post the next chapter. **

**To Stella- I'm not sure yet, I think maybe I might introduce that and have Jack explain to the other guardians why his staff held such importance. And I think he'll tell them about the rest of the events that happened, but I'm not quite sure yet. So thanks for the review, it gave me some more ideas to add into the story. ;)**

**Now on to the story. XP**

Chapter 2: The News

Bunny ran through his tunnels turning every which way focused on making it to the pole. His tunnel opens up into the middle of the workshop, a few elves almost falling in. Bunny pays no mind though, his main goal to get Jack to the pole's infirmary.

"BUNNY! Have I not told you before, not to open tunnels into workshop?! Why you not listen?!" North's voice boomed through the large room. Bunny barely turned to glance at the large man.

" 'Cause North, we hav' a situation which calls fa' the need to break certain rules. Now, make sure the infirmary is ready!" Bunny took off towards the infirmary again, this time a bewildered North following behind. Tooth and Sandy, who had been chatting in the upper levels of the workshop, saw the two running along the halls, and quickly followed. North was shouting at the yetis to make way and get the room ready. Bunny's feet raced down the walkways, and halls. He skid to a stop and shouldered his way to the center of the infirmary, to lay Jack on a bed.

Jack grimaced as his leg jostled slightly, when he was laid down. His breath coming in short, labored puffs. His whole body was shaking from the effort not to yell out in pain, he felt like a white-hot, searing pain was wreaking through his body. Every inhale brought on a new flash, and every exhale seemed to become more difficult. As Bunny started to back away to make more room for the medi-yetis, Jack reached up and clutched his paw. Jack forced his eyes open long enough to send a pleading look to the Pooka, begging him not to leave the young immortal alone. So the large rabbit pulled up the nearest chair and sat down, never letting go of Jack's hand. The yetis hurried to work.

They had to cut off Jack's beloved hoodie to gain further access and to assess his injuries. As the blue fabric came off, Bunny finally saw just how bad the teen had been wounded. Purple and blue bruises, and large gashes littered his torso. One of the yetis pushed gently around his chest, Jack hissed at the small amount of pressure. When another yeti brushed lightly on his leg, he outright screamed. His delicate hand squeezed Bunny's paw so hard the pooka thought the blood would surely be cut off.

The yetis' garbled form of speech echoed in the room. North's brow was furrowed in confusion and anger. "How did this happen? His list of injuries is so large! Broken leg, fractured wrist, at least three broken ribs, massive gashes on torso, he might have a concussion, many bruises and cuts. His shoulder is also dislocated." North listed the injuries in english while a yeti named them off in his garble. Tooth and Sandy stood in the doorway, Tooth's covered her mouth, while Sandy flashed a exclamation point.

Bunny pulled his free paw over his face. He scrunched his eyes closed and opened them to look at the other guardians...

"Pitch is back."

**Well, that was the second chapter. I know this was short too, but I thought the next chapter would show their reactions and stuff or something like that. I hope you liked it. But since this is just the beginning I thought adding the bigger, more bolder parts could come later. I'll either add the next chapter later tonight or like tomorrow, but it shouldn't be too long. I really like it when you guys review and input your ideas so I can make it better. So R&R!**

** ~Smaguire XP**


	3. Chapter 3: Reach

**Sorry it's late. I had to go to an appointment and then I had an essay to write for my Ap Euro class. Man, can I tell you I absolutely can't stand the cold war, it is the most boring war to write about in my opinion. It was just about a bunch of government policies that other governments didn't like and a bunch of other stupid junk. Pretty needless if I do say so myself, but that isn't what I'm here for. I'm here to spread the fanfic. So sorry for my ramblings, I'll get to the story now.**

**I sadly don't own Rise of the Guardians.**

Chapter 3: Reach

_"Pitch is back."_

The guardians of wonder, dreams, and memories, stared in shock at Bunny. "Vat do you mean Pitch 'es back?! Ve defeated him t'ree years ago. How could he be back?!" North shouted, making Jack wince. North mumbled his apology.

Bunny turned back to Jack, and ran a paw through his red encrusted white hair. The yetis started to clean the dirt and dried blood from his wounds. Jack grit his teeth. His breath coming out in little clouds of white fog, it sounded raspy. Jack's blue eyes looked up into Bunny's green ones, pain hazing them over, tears forming in the corners of his. He didn't want to admit it or show it, but he was… He was scared, and in pain. He knew he shouldn't be scared but that was like saying go into the den of some ravenous wolves and not get hurt or eaten. He was freaking out and didn't know what to do. He hurt all over and every time some one even touched him he wanted to scream in pure agony. The paw he gripped squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"It'll be alright mate. We'll take care of ya. Patch you up good as new." Bunnymund smiled softly. Bunny turned back to the older guardians. "He's the one that did this to Frostbite. When I went to go get 'em I found the lake all messed up and 'im all beaten up." Bunny turned back to Jack. The yeti tapped him on the shoulder and motioned towards Jack's leg, Bunny nodded in understanding. "Jack, mate, they need to set your leg. If they don't then it won't heal right."

Jack's eyes flashed with fear, and he gripped Bunny's paw tighter. He nodded to both Bunny and the Yeti. The yeti grasped firmly to the broken appendage, and Bunny said, "On the count of three… Ready… One…" The yeti felt Jack relax a bit, and felt that he should do it then when he was least expecting it and snapped the bones in place. Jack's scream echoed through the small and crowded room. The yeti then popped the dislocated shoulder in place, making Jack howl in complete agony, tears finally sliding down his face. The yeti finally popped his broken wrist in place, the last of the broken appendages. Jack clawed his finger nails into Bunny's paw. The agonizing fire started to slowly burn it's way into his chest. The setting of his bones was horrible but… this was much worse. His eyes popped open, at some point he had clenched them shut.

He grit his teeth, "S-Staff, n-need my s-staff!" He ground out. Bunny handed him the two broken pieces, that he had stashed into his leather pouch he used to store his paints and brushes. Jack let go of his paw and latched onto the pieces. He knew it was a bad idea to move his broken wrist, but the pain was to great in his chest. The staff needed to be fixed or else something else would happen, and it could be even worse. Bunny was about to grab the pieces back when Jack pushed himself into a sitting position.

"Jack you shouldn't move!" Tooth was the first to say anything, but Jack paid her no heed. He was solely focused on fixing the broken wood. He lifted them up towards his chest. North, Bunny, Sandy, and Tooth watched with confusion and caution, scared he might make himself worse. Jack slowly pushed the pieces together. His fingers brushing along the worn wood, when the pieces touched and the broken ends aligned, he closed his eyes. He felt a strange pull in his chest, like it was asking him to tug on it. He willed it to come forward towards the staff. he saw a flash from under his eyelids. He peeked a little to see if it was working and the light flashed again. He willed the pieces to come together and form once again into his staff. The pain emerged again and he could tell this time it was going to be tougher to bring the conductor of his powers again. He fought through the pain and forced his raw strength into the carved wood.

Then he felt something click. He felt his power push back into him. He let out a pained gasp, and fell back onto the pillows, no longer able to hold himself up. The pain in his chest worsened tenfold. He struggled to actually inhale, his vision going haywire. For the first time in his immortal -300 year- lifespan he was cold, like so cold it burned. He felt all of his muscles spasm. He shrieked, never had he thought anything could tear at him like this, never had he thought he'd want to actually want warmth, never had he thought his powers go ballistic and rear back at _him._ Then he felt two furry arms encircle his upper body, he felt himself being pulled into a massive furry chest, _Bunny,_ he realized. Slowly, the cold sensation ebbed, and the pain turned into a dull throb. He could finally see without random stars and fireworks clouding his vision. He fell back into the embrace. His breath hitched and he coughed. And coughed. And coughed, he could feel a wet substance, that tasted like copper pennies. He lifted his hands away from the staff, it was once again whole but wasn't at the same time. It felt almost tainted. He shuddered as he felt the grip tighten and heard a gasp. He felt a cloth wipe away the substance but not before he could see what it was. _Blood…_ He thought he might pass out, but regained what little sense of balance he could.

Bunny hadn't understood what he had been doing. Jack had looked so focused when he lifted the staff. that he wasn't sure if he should take it away or leave him be, so he just sat by and watched the teen's actions. A flicker of blue light wavered through the room. He watched as the light grew stronger, and the pieces melded back together. At first he had been in awe, of the teen's power, but then he felt a deep sense of dread. He saw how Jack gasped and tried to get his breathing under control, he heard as the immortal screamed his loudest yet, he watched as the boy slumped backwards and loo like he was having a seizure, his body twisting of it's own accord. Finally he snapped out of the almost catatonic state he was in and lurched forward wrapping his arms around the boy. He pulled him closer until he was huddled against his chest. He heard the child cough and saw the blood drip down his chin. He wiped the blood off hoping the child hadn't seen it.

"Mate…" He tentatively called to the young male he had in his arms, Jack breathed in a heavy, shuddering breath.

"Bun… It… h-hurts…" Jack gasped out slowly, some of the muscles still spasming.

"It's okay. We'll make it better alright?" Bunny wasn't sure who he was trying to convince, himself or Jack. Jack nodded jerkily. Bunny looked over to Sandy. "Sandy, do you think you could…" He tilted his head slightly towards Jack. Sandy caught on and nodded. He summoned a small stream of sand, and it twirled in the air, he gently ordered it towards Jack, and it responded. It gently blew into Jack's face instantly putting the teen into a delicate sleep, Dolphins and snowflakes floated above his head. Bunny sighed in relief.

"Well… What should we do?" The oversized rabbit questioned the other immortal adults in the room. He didn't set Jack down, but actually pulled him closer and into a more comfortable position. His eyes were hard and enraged at the man who did this.

Tooth and Sandy watched the pair, while North answered. " Ve protect Jack. Vhen he is better ve shall go pay Pitch a visit and show him, he does not mess with _our Jack!" _

**Hope it was okay. I wasn't really sure how to end it. I might post more tonight if I get a couple reviews on some input to upgrade this story. If not then I'll probably post more this weekend if I can use a computer. Please R&R!**

**~Smaguire XP**


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